Will The Second Half Of Fall Be Any Cooler Than The First?

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

The average first fall freeze for various locations

That’s right; we’re almost halfway through the fall season (which falls on November 7th). This is about the time of year when we would normally experience our first freeze (which is simply defined as temperatures falling to 32). The coldest temperature recorded so far this season in Huntsville though is 42, the low temperature on October 22 and 23. Although some areas did drop into the 30s and were just cold enough for a little frost on windshields.

Frost in New Market on October 22 (Image: Bobby Gilbert)

It’s not uncommon to see some patchy frost before your first official freeze. That’s because frost occurs when water vapor goes straight from the gas phase into the solid phase. The air itself doesn’t have to be at freezing for this to happen, just the item the frost develops on, like your windshield.

Climate Prediction Centers temperature outlook for November 2016

It’s possible that we could get into the beginning of December before seeing our first widespread freeze. Models are hinting at a cool down after the first week of November, but it still doesn’t look like a significant pull-out-your-winter-coat cool down. It will, at least, feel a little more like fall with temperatures likely dropping into the 70s for highs again. The Climate Prediction Center’s outlook for November mirrors this trend too. In fact, the entire country’s outlook is generally warmer than average.

Keep up with your weekly forecast while you wait on cooler weather to arrive at WHNT.com/Weather!